After Baby Suffers Second Degree Burns to Face, Mom Issues Stark Warning About Dangers of Sunscreen

How often as children did we heed our mothers’ sunscreen warnings before spending a day soaking up rays? Though it’s a logical step to avoid redness, irritation, and burns, it can sometimes be a hassle.

Recently the development of aerosol sunscreens has made the application of the greasy stuff much more simple. Just a quick spray and you’re taken care of.

However, some Canadian mothers are having big issues with a certain aerosol sunscreen manufacturer. Rebecca Cannon, mother of 14-month-old Kyla, said her daughter suffered second degree burns after she used Banana Boat SPF 50 aerosol sunscreen on her face.

Cannon carefully read the directions and warning on the can of Banana Boat kids sunscreen before applying it to her daughter. She noted that the sunscreen was not safe for children under six months old.

Her daughter, being much older than the recommended age, should not have had any problems. Cannon sprayed the sunscreen onto her own hands and then rubbed it onto her daughter’s cheeks.

Though Cannon claims her daughter was not even in the sun that day, Kyla’s face continued to get redder as the day went on. The next morning, Kyla’s face was swollen and had blisters that were ready to pop. Cannon took her daughter to the doctor, where the burns were diagnosed.

This story sounds similar to that of another mother in late May. Caroline Morneau applied Banana Boat SPF 60 aerosol sunscreen to her 9-month-old son Loic’s face.

Similar to Cannon’s experience, Morneau noticed her son’s face blistering the next day. She took her son to a doctor where it was confirmed Loic had second-degree burns.

Both mothers were outraged by the possibility that sunscreen could do the exact opposite of its intended purpose. Cannon took to Facebook right after the incident to warn other mothers and to express her disappointment in a seemingly safe product.

Banana Boat commented on the instances. The company claims that their products are neutral on the pH scale, making them safe for topical use.

Banana Boat also assured consumers that their products are routinely tested for safety. Their best assessment of the burns is an allergic reaction to a certain ingredient in the sunscreen that may have been heightened by exposure to direct sunlight.

On May 31, Cannon shared a link to a GoFundMe campaign on her Facebook page. Cannon is hoping to raise enough money to take legal action against Banana Boat and insist that the sunscreen be lab tested to figure out what could be triggering this type of reaction in children.

Aside from a reimbursement for the product, the company has not done much else to ease the situation with either mother. Cannon, for one, is disappointed with the product and warns other parents to be extremely conscious about the sunscreens they use on their babies this summer.